I'm hoping to pick up a new addition at the end of the month and I want everything set when he arrives. I know eels are escape artists so I have some plastic mesh ready to prevent escapes. I can use it to cover some of the gaps around the back of the glass top. What has me stumped is how to keep him out of my HOB filter.
Eel proofing a Tank
- Thread starter blue2fyre
- Start date
If you have any overflow box, skimmer box any open filter tubes in those or anything of that nature... BLOCK THEM. I found my eel past the grill, through the small grille, and stuffed in half up the intake tube of my filter inside the skimmer box. Just the other day i lost the little guy. Very sad because he had a great personality and never once jumped or anything, but i guess temptations got the better of him and he somehow managed to get in the skimmer box, i still dont know how.
I set up my 29 specifically for my first plagiostoma. Reverse-flow UG filter run by an aquaclear 70 powerhead and an air-driven sponge filter to collect debris. I never even broke out the pieces along the back of the hood, just ran cords and airline through the small gaps for them in the hood.
The 55 I set up, intending to move them into after I got another plagiostoma, was set up the same way with the UG filter plates, and I also used a fluval 304 on that tank. I have versa-tops on that 55, and cut out the plastic splashguard just enough for the intake and return hoses to fit into, with the powerhead and heater cords running out the same cutouts.
IMO there isn't any really good way to keep a spiney eel out of a hob filter, but my best suggestion would be to tightly roll a piece of plastic canvas and figure out a way to secure it in place so that water flows through but the opening is blocked.
The 55 I set up, intending to move them into after I got another plagiostoma, was set up the same way with the UG filter plates, and I also used a fluval 304 on that tank. I have versa-tops on that 55, and cut out the plastic splashguard just enough for the intake and return hoses to fit into, with the powerhead and heater cords running out the same cutouts.
IMO there isn't any really good way to keep a spiney eel out of a hob filter, but my best suggestion would be to tightly roll a piece of plastic canvas and figure out a way to secure it in place so that water flows through but the opening is blocked.
Couldn't you just use the mesh for that also? I've heard of other people using it before, but I haven't personally (I haven't used an HOB in years).
I've slipped the toe if a knee-high stocking over my Aquatech HOB to slow flow. I snipped little holes with scissors when the flow was too slow. Basically, I pulled out the uptake pipe, slipped on the stocking, pushed the tube back down (tucking the stocking in) and hooked the stocking up onto the central front "spine" of the hob. The lid still fit on top.
The knee-high was baggy, so I'm sure it'd work on a bigger HOB. Otherwise, perhaps hot-gluing mesh across the front spillway?
Good luck!
The knee-high was baggy, so I'm sure it'd work on a bigger HOB. Otherwise, perhaps hot-gluing mesh across the front spillway?
Good luck!
could you put find a way to mount the mesh to the filter so that it covers the entrance but doesn't take away from water flow?
If there are any open lines it could swim up, take a bit of window screen and place it over the end of the tube and tighten down a zip tie to act as a worm clamp.
If there are any open lines it could swim up, take a bit of window screen and place it over the end of the tube and tighten down a zip tie to act as a worm clamp.
Thanks for the ideas. I was looking really closely at it last night and I think I can get the mesh to cover the opening into the HOB. The rest of the plastic strip of the glass top covers the whole back but I think I should weight it down as well. The eel is only 5" right now but I'd rather not take any risks.